This vegan potato salad is guaranteed to make you the star of your next summer BBQ or potluck.
It feels funny to write that because, well, I used to hate potato salad. The potato salad I grew up on was dowsed in gloopy mayonnaise, served out of industrial-sized plastic buckets at school events and fundraisers. Yuck.
But, here I am, two decades later, sharing a potato salad recipe that I genuinely love. It features perfectly cooked baby potatoes coated in an incredibly creamy dressing that’s tangy and packed with so many fun flavors. Plus, despite being made without mayo, it’s perfectly creamy and indulgent while still being pretty wholesome.
Table of Contents
1. Why you’ll love this recipe
2. Ingredient Notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Frequently asked questions
6. Recipe Card
Why you’ll love this recipe
Replacing mayonnaise with something better. If you grew up in the United States, you probably have at least one childhood memory of a repulsive potato salad drenched in mayonnaise.
Here, that’s not a problem because mayo is replaced by a combination of tahini and coconut yogurt, two plant-based superstar ingredients. They add creaminess and flavor without weighing the potatoes down. The result is a potato salad that’s not only unbelievably delicious, but also gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and without added oil.
Way more flavorful than classic potato salad. A traditional potato salad always felt lacking in flavor to me (perhaps, I couldn’t taste the flavors because all I picked up was copious amounts of mayo). So, I carefully crafted this recipe to add lots of punchy and fun flavors.
It’s tangy from two kinds of mustard as well as capers, fresh and citrusy thanks to lots of dill and lemon, sharp from red onions and chives, earthy and vegetal from celery seeds, and has a unique kick thanks to jalapeño peppers.
Summer perfect and easy. Potato salad is a quintessential summer recipe, and I promise that one bite of this recipe will bring the taste of summer. Bring it potlucks, barbecues, and picnics! Plus, it’s easy to make ahead of time and can be made in 30 minutes.
For more perfect-for-summer non-traditional salads, be sure to try my Actually Good Quinoa Salad, Vegan Pasta Salad, Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad, Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad, or Charred Corn Salad with White Beans.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This ingredient list for this vegan potato salad deviates from the standard gloopy mayo-based potato salad in a few important ways.
Red potatoes. A waxy, thin skinned potato works best here. Their small size mean they cook quickly and they hold their shape well. See the Tips section for alternatives and additional detail.
Tahini. Tahini adds a creamy and slightly nutty flavor to the potato salad, enhancing its richness and depth. My preferred brands are Soom Tahini, Seed + Mill, Beirut Tahini Sesame Paste, and Baron’s (affiliate links).
Unsweetened coconut yogurt: Coconut yogurt provides a delightfully tangy taste. I recommend using the best variety you can find, as it’s a key ingredient. My favorite coconut yogurts are thick and tangy: CocoJune, Culina, and GT’s CocoYo. And this should be obvious, but you need to use a plain, unsweetened variety (no one wants raspberry-flavored potato salad!
Substitute: If you can’t find a good-quality plain coconut yogurt, you can use use vegan sour cream. My preferred brands are Kite Hill Foods and Tofutti. If using sour cream, you’ll likely need to use less lemon juice and salt.
Mustard. Dijon mustard and yellow mustard combine to lend a sharp and tangy flavor, which helps to balance the richness of the other ingredients.
Celery seeds. Celery seeds contribute a subtle and slightly bitter flavor, reminiscent of celery, which complements the other ingredients and adds a pleasant herbal note.
Fresh dill leaves. Fresh dill leaves offer a fresh and herbaceous taste, bringing a unique and vibrant flavor to the potato salad. I know not everyone is a huge fan of dill. If you’re not, substitute with flat-leaf parsley or just use less.
Capers and caper brine. They add tangy and briny flavor, providing a unique and slightly acidic taste that complements the other ingredients.
Substitute: Don’t have capers? You can substitute them with 1 finely chopped dill pickle and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pickle juice.
Jalapeño pepper (optional). If included, jalapeño pepper adds a spicy kick to the salad, balancing the flavors with its heat.
Step-by-step instructions
Cut small potatoes in half (larger potatoes in chunks) and cover with cold water; season with salt. Simmer just until tender – a fork pierced into the potatoes should offer the slightest bit of resistance. Drain the potatoes and rest in the colander for 5 minutes to dry out but keep warm.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Whisk together the tahini, coconut yogurt, and mustards.
Add in the garlic, lemon zest and juice, celery seeds, caper brine, salt and pepper. Whisk the dressing until well combined.
Add in 1 tablespoon of the chopped dill and stir to combine.
Coat the warm potatoes in the dressing, gently tossing.
To the potato salad, add the capers, red onions, jalapeños (if using), and toss gently.
Finish with the remaining dill and chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve warm or chill for at least one hour.
Tips for making this recipe
Pick small, waxy potatoes
For potato salad, you want distinct pieces of potatoes, not mushy blobs stuck together So a waxy, thin-skinned potato is best, as they have the least amount of starch and keep their shape when boiled. Thin-skinned potatoes also cook more quickly, and to keep things even speedier, I use small-sized potatoes (they cook in just 8 to 12 minutes).
The most common varieties of small, waxy potatoes to use in this recipe: baby red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, and new potatoes. At some grocery stores, you might also find “peewee potatoes” (also great and very cute).
If you can only find full-sized red potatoes, cut them into chunks about the size of the halved baby potatoes (see the photos in in the “how to make vegan potato salad” section for a visual reference). And if you can only find Yukon gold potatoes, these are your next best bet. They are not as waxy, but also not as starchy as Russets (I do not recommend using those in this recipe). Again, cut them into chunks.
Cook potatoes in cold water and season with salt
Cooking potatoes in cold water helps them cook more evenly. They’re dense little guys and require more time to heat through than most other veggies (are potatoes considered veggies? thoughts?). Adding them to boiling water can lead to mushy on the outside and undercooked on the inside.
And seasoning the water with salt is essential for a rounded depth of flavor. If you wait to add salt at the end, it won’t penetrate into the interior of the potatoes.
Don’t overcook the potatoes!
Soft potatoes are great for creamy mashed potatoes, but not for potato salad. For reference, I simmered these baby red potatoes for just 8 minutes.
Tip: To test whether the potatoes are done, insert a fork into a potato. It should give just the slightest resistance. You do NOT want to wait until they fall apart when forked.
Allow the potatoes to dry
I allow the potatoes to briefly dry in a colander for 5 minutes to drain off excess water. Drier potatoes will enable the dressing to better cling to each potato, making for a delightfully saucy potato salad.
Dress the potatoes while warm
The nice thing about making a non-mayo-based potato salad, is that you can serve it warm (if you wish). I love serving it warm after making it – it feels a little more grown up and elegant. And since we’re not using any egg-based ingredients, it’s okay to dress the potatoes while warm. Dressing while the potatoes are still warm helps them absorb more of the dressing and the flavors.
That said, if you have leftovers, this potato salad is also very tasty once chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
This potato salad makes a wonderful addition to any barbecue, potluck, or picnic. It would be just perfect next to a veggie burger or some charred veggies hot off the grill.
It would work beautifully alongside these grilled tofu skewers. And I have a whole guide to vegan grilling for you to check out.
For a comfort food pairing, serve alongside my Crispy Baked Mac and Cheese.
And if you have my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, this potato salad would be FABULOUS with the Baked Beans in Chapter 2.
Sure, if you don’t care to serve it warm, you can certainly make it ahead. It will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Glad you asked! There are lots of options.
Substitute the capers for pickles (see the “notes” in the recipe card). Swap the celery seeds with finely celery leaves (or thinly sliced celery).
Not a dill fan? Add some parsley for color and freshness instead. You can also replace the chives with thinly sliced scallions. Got baby mouth? Skip the jalapeño. Or for more tangy, add a spoon or two of pickled jalapeños.
For a nutrition punch, add 1/2 cup of blanched green beans or asparagus, or thinly sliced raw radishes, red/yellow bell peppers, or finely shredded red cabbage. The potato salad is quite saucy so it should be able to coat this amount of veggies.
Watch! How to Make Vegan Potato Salad
If you love this herbed vegan potato salad, please leave a rating and review with your feedback and tag me on Instagram with your remakes :)
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
The Best Vegan Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) baby red potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or new potatoes
Dressing
- ¼ cup (56g) tahini well-stirred
- 4 ounces (112g) unsweetened coconut yogurt*
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a press or finely minced
- 1 medium lemon, zested (2-3 teaspoons zest)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds (optional but recommended)**
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- ⅓ to ½ cup (5 to 8g) fresh dill leaves, finely chopped***
- 1 tablespoon caper brine****
Salad ingredients
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- ½ cup (50-55g) thinly sliced or shaved red onions
- 1 jalapeño pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced (this is optional; keep the seeds in for a spicy kick)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped chives (or thinly sliced scallions)
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes but leave the peels on. Cut baby/new/fingerling potatoes in half; cut larger potatoes into chunks.
- Transfer the potatoes to a saucepan and cover with an inch of cold water. Season generously with kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and maintain a decent simmer for 8 to 12 minutes until just tender. If the fork pierces the potatoes with the slightest bit of resistance, the potatoes are done. Note: For reference, the halved baby red potatoes I used took only 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, yogurt, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, celery seeds, caper brine (not the whole capers), 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper until well combined. Add 1 tablespoon of the chopped dill and stir together.Note: If the dressing is too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of cold water.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander (reserve a little of the cooking liquid in case it's needed). Let the potatoes rest in the colander for 5 minutes to dry out, but don’t wait until they have cooled down.
- Add the warm potatoes to the dressing and coat evenly and well. If needed, add a spoon of the cooking water to bring everything together (I didn't need to).
- Add the capers, red onions, and jalapeños to the potato salad, and toss again gently. Sprinkle the remaining dill and the chives on top before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm, or chill for at least 1 hour.
Notes
When the title says “best potato salad ever”, you better believe it.
I made it on Friday, and let it “marinate” in the fridge until Saturday.
It is simply scrumptious, delicious and “umami”. I have many (vegan) potato salad recipes but none with tahini instead of Mayo, and it turns out that tahini is the PERFECT pairing for it!
I served it at room temperature with chicken fried tofu and blanched green beans, which we dredged through the salad dressing!!!! What a feast!!!!!!
Oooh, drooling thinking about that plate, Mona! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the potato salad. Thank you for trying it!
I made this for our Fourth of July celebration. It is simple to make and tastes like a bright, flavorful potato salad with a delightful kick. I will definitely make it again. I made a few adjustments by necessity and it was still fantastic. I did substitute celery leaves for seeds and added some chopped celery as well; also substituted chopped hot dill pickles made with habaneros and their brine for capers, finely chopped the jalapeño so as not to scare away some guests, omitted the red onion and added roasted scallions instead – sadly can’t do any onions. Next time I will cut out the lemon zest. The lemon juice is sufficient for brightness but the zest made the lemon taste linger and clash with creamy potato for me.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us about this potato salad, Mer! Great to hear you enjoyed it.
We enjoyed this salad a lot. Just delicious! I put in cornichons instead of the capres and that worked very well too.
Hi Julia, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review :)
Cette recette de salade de pommes de terre est Fabuleuse !!!
Je n’aime pas l’aneth normalement, mais là dans la sauce avec tous ces accompagnements, j’ai trouvé ça sublime. Tout s’associe parfaitement !
Je l’ai faite pour des amis qui se sont régalés, et nous aussi. Je l’ai servi avec du tofu soyeux maison, que j’ai fait mariné, j’adore ça…
Merci pour cette recette somptueuse, à refaire, trop trop bon !!!
We’re so happy that the potato salad turned out well for you, Bosha. This is one of my summertime favorites as well :) Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Can I use some vinegar instesd of pickles/caper juice? I absolutely hate pickles and capers hahah
Hi Demi, sure, but try something not too harsh. Something like champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar and start with less, as vinegars are more acidic.
The word “vegan” should be taken out of the title of this recipe b/c it’s the best potato salad I’ve EVER eaten!! Way more depth of flavor than any traditional potato salad and WAY healthier! Nisha never disappoints and this is no exception. Taking this bowl of deliciousness to a pool party this afternoon and cannot wait to share it. Thnx again for yet another stellar recipe :)
Hi Kimi- so awesome to hear you love the recipe! Your comment has inspired me to bring this to my fourth of July celebration :) You’re very welcome for the recipe!
I made this yesterday exactly as written and it was a smash hit at the barbecue I brought it too. No one had tasted a potato salad like it before and everyone wanted to know what was in the dressing because it was so different from what they’re used to. I will most definitely make this again.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Vibeke! It makes us happy to know that everyone enjoyed the recipe. :)
looking forward to trying this, very different..
Just made this and it’s amazing! We have lots of allergy issues in our family and this recipe was perfect! I used oat milk yogurt as a sub for coconut yogurt, and stone ground Dijon for for a little extra zing! This will be my go-to potato salad moving forward!
Thanks for your awesome review, Colleen! So lovely to hear this recipe came in handy :)
We can’t wait for you to try it either, Georgana! This is one of my favorite light potato dishes :)
This is such a delicious recipe and minimal prep! Loved it! The dressing was tangy and refreshing, the onions gave a nice crisp bite with the soft potatoes. I had this with a vegan steak and a green salad, perfect for a summer evening!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the potato salad, Rob. Thanks for your kind words!
I LOVED this recipe. It had the perfect balance of flavors. 10/10 will definitely make again.
Hey Anna! Wow, I can feel your enthusiasm about this recipe through the screen! Love it!
My new favorite potato salad! This potato salad is delicious and so full of flavor! My boyfriend (certified tahini hater) loves it as well!
I agree this potato salad is truly amazing, Alexis! Thanks for the sweet review :)
Delicious and simple! Thank you!
We’re happy to hear you think so, Tyler!
This is a great potato salad.. lots of ingredients and soo flavorful! Thank you! It’s a keeper!!
Hi Kat, I agree with you… this is an incredible vegan potato salad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review :)
Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Please, what is “yellow mustard”? All mustards are yellow in my country. What flavours does it add to the Dijon one? Is it the sugary kind used for burgers?
Hi Alice, there are many different varieties of mustard such as dijon, stone ground, spicy, brown, etc. Yellow mustard is labeled as “classic yellow mustard” which is usually sold in a bright yellow squeeze bottle. We hope that helped!
Oh boy it packs a punch ♥️
So happy you love it, Kartik!
This is an amazing recipe, I used the sauce to make a chickpea salad for sandwiches and I swear I could eat the sauce with a spoon. I did have to add a pinch of sugar to balance it because the tahini I have is on the bitter side.
This isn’t the best vegan potato salad – it’s the best potato salad in general! My family preferred it to the non-vegan version! Super flavourful and easy to make. Another winner <3
Nicole, So glad to hear everyone loved this recipe!
Yes it looks delicious and I am going to try today.wanna ask one thing.can we use plain low fat yougart instead of coconut yougart or sour cream???
Hi Mubashir, glad you think it sounds delicious! And in regard to the substitution question: we’re vegan and don’t cook with dairy, so I’m afraid we cannot advise you about whether it will work in this recipe.
This. Is. Phenomenal. Not only is this easily the best potato salad I’ve ever had, it has to be one of the best potato dishes I’ve made, let alone ordered at restaurants! Thank you for all your hard work, Nisha. I’ve been making a ton of your recipes lately (so much so I just ordered your IP cookbook) and love every single one!
Wonderful, Corrie! We are thrilled to hear you’ve been loving the recipes :)
A friend brought this to a party and we liked it so much we asked for the recipe. We had it at home and it’s really great – so happy to be freed from the mayonnaise! Great the next day to take for lunch to work – holds up great.
Ahh, we love that Michelle! So wonderful to hear you’re a fan of the potato salad :)